Hunter's Supermoon rises this week, the largest full moon of 2024. Here's how to see it

The largest full moon of 2024 rises this week.

The moon will officially become full on Thursday (October 17) at 7:26 a.m. EDT (1126 GMT). And less than 11 hours earlier, at 8:48 p.m. EDT on Wednesday evening (0048 GMT on October 17), the moon will also reach perigee, its closest point to Earth, at a distance of 221,938 miles (357,174 km). .

The result of these two events will be a 14% brighter than average full moon later this week, accompanied by unusually high and low tides as the weekend begins. Colloquially, a full moon that coincides with perigee is called a “supermoon.”

Dr. Fred Espenak, a retired NASA astrophysicist and solar eclipse expert, defines a supermoon as a full moon that occurs when the moon is within 90 percent of Earth. Dr. Espenak has compiled a list of all supermoons (including those that fall under the 90 percent category) that have occurred in the 21st century.

According to Dr. According to Espenak, there will be four supermoons in 2024 August, SeptemberOctober and November. But this week's supermoon is the one where the full moon and perigee are closest together.

a big bright full moon.

October's full moon occurs on Thursday, October 17th at 7:26 a.m. EDT, 4:26 a.m. PDT, or 11:26 a.m. GMT. (Image credit: Chris Vaughan/Starry Night)

In contrast, the full moon on April 13, 2025 will coincide exactly with apogee, the moon's furthest point from Earth. On that day, the moon will be about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) further away and appear 14 percent smaller compared to the evening of October 16, so the antonym of a supermoon is a “micromoon.”

Native Americans gave each month's full moon a nickname, and traditionally October's full moon was known as the Hunter's Moon. When the leaves fall and the deer are fattened, now is the time to hunt. Because the fields have recently been harvested, hunters can ride over the stubble and more easily see foxes and other animals that have come out to feed and are captured for a Thanksgiving banquet after the harvest.

Related: 'It Was 3 Hours of Magic': Spectacular Northern Lights Delight Stargazers Around the World (and the Internet) as a Fierce Geomagnetic Storm Shakes the Earth (Photos)

Thursday or Wednesday?

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On Thursday, many weather reporters on television will likely urge their viewers to go outside that evening to witness the sight of a “Full super moon“But in reality, the moon will be many hours past full that night (in effect a waning gibbous phase) and will be even further away in time from the perigee point of its orbit.

But on Wednesday evening, not only will the moon be very close to perigee, but it will also be getting closer every hour to when it will actually become full. So if you want to experience the full “supermoon effect,” then Wednesday is your night.

In reality, however, a full moon theoretically only lasts a moment, but this moment is imperceptible to normal observation, and a day or so before and after most will talk about considering the almost full moon to be “full”: the shaded band is It is so narrow and changes its apparent width so slowly that it is difficult to tell with the naked eye whether it is there or which side it is on.

A large full moon hovers directly above the Empire State Building in a scene of the New York skyline.

A woman and her child watch the Hunter's Moon rise behind the Empire State Building as the sun sets on October 27, 2023 in New York City, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

Flood moments

“Spring tides” occur every month when the moon is full and new. The word “spring” is derived from German jump – “rising” and is not – as is often mistakenly assumed – an indication of the spring season. At these times, the Moon and Sun form a line with the Earth, so their tidal effects are additive. The Sun exerts slightly less than half the tidal force of the Moon.

“Neap” tides, on the other hand, occur at times when the moon is in its first and last quarters, at odds with the sun. At these times the tides are weak.

However, the highest tides do not coincide with the perigee moon, but are actually delayed by up to several days, depending on the particular coastal location.

For example, Boston Harbor reaches a peak tide elevation of 12.0 feet at 12:11 a.m. EDT on Friday, nearly two days after perigee, while Cape Fear, North Carolina, reaches peak tide elevation (6.8 feet) at 9:16 a.m EDT on Saturday.

Any coastal storm at sea at this time will almost certainly exacerbate coastal flooding problems.

Tidal force varies as the inverse power of an object's distance. This month the Moon is 12.2% closer at perigee than at apogee. Therefore, it will exert 42% more tidal force during this full moon than the spring tides during the “micro” full moon, which coincides with the apogee next April.

Huge moon during moonrise and moonset

Normally, the variation in lunar distance is not readily apparent to observers looking directly at the moon.

Or is it?

When the perigee moon is close to the horizon, it can appear absolutely huge. Then the famous “moon illusion” combines with reality to create a truly breathtaking view. For reasons not fully understood According to astronomers or psychologists, a low-hanging moon looks incredibly large when it hovers near trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The fact that the moon will be much closer than usual this weekend will only add to this strengthen this strange effect.

A bright full moon rises over a bridge and the city skyline

The full Hunter's Moon rises over the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge in New York City on October 28, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

So… a perigee moon that either rises in the east at sunset or sets in the west at sunrise appears to make the moon appear so close that it almost looks like you can touch it. You can check this for yourself by first noting the moonrise and moonset times for your region, thanks to the US Naval Observatory.

If you want to get a closer look at the moon and other objects in the night sky, our guide to the best telescopes for beginners can help you find what you need. And if you prefer something more portable, check out our guide to the best binoculars.

Editor's note: If you want to take a stunning photo of the Full Hunter supermoon and share it with Space.com, send images and comments to our skywatching inbox at [email protected].

Joe Rao is a lecturer and visiting professor at New York University Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Journal of Natural HistoryThe Farmer's Almanac and other publications.

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